


Horizon Line

by Springmagpies



Series: AU August 2020 [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: As many wild west tropes as I could smash into a small fic, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Wild West AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25776022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Springmagpies/pseuds/Springmagpies
Summary: In the small little railroad town placed in the heart of the American West, gossip travels quickly. But when inventor Leo Fitz and town doctor Jemma Simmons begin to form a bit of a flirtation, the stories around their relationship break all sorts of records with the speed in which it travels. This story is the collection and clarification of said rumors.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: AU August 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862158
Comments: 12
Kudos: 51
Collections: AOS AU August 2020





	Horizon Line

**Author's Note:**

> This was suggested by a lovely anon on my Tumblr! It started one way, went another, and now we're here. Enjoy!

He’d seen her a few times in the saloon, her hair tied up in a knot and her cheeks rosy, but he’d never had the courage to speak to her. Daughter of the town doctor, Jemma Simmons was as quick as a whip and beloved by the people she helped--which was everyone. After her father had passed, she had taken up the mantle he had left, healing the sick and helping all those she could. Like most people, Leo Fitz loved her for it. He was taken by her brilliance, enchanted by her charm, and entranced by the melody of her voice. 

Little did he know she had the same feelings for him. For Jemma had loved the inventor from afar the moment he had arrived in the small desert town. He was shy and inquisitive, inventing all sorts of things up in his apartment above the saloon. He would come down for a drink every so often and Jemma would purposely move closer to hear what delightful discussions he was having with the Railroad Engineer, Mr. Mackenzie, at the bar. She loved the way his mind worked, how flushed his face got when he was excited, and how he always explained things with his hands. 

It was she who introduced herself first, the part of the story she repeated strongly despite Fitz denying it. Technically, she  _ had _ to introduce herself first as he had come in for medical attention, but it still counted. 

There had been a mishap at the mines, a misplaced explosion causing a cave-in. As a part of the rescue team, Fitz had been helping move one of the men out of the mine when a bit more of the tunnel collapsed. His leg was caught under one of the rocks that fell, but luckily Mr. Mackenzie had been there to help him, along with the injured miner, out. By some miracle, no one was severely injured and all ten miners and ten rescuers made it out of the now broken-down mine. 

All those involved in the cave-in were rushed back into town and to Jemma, who already had her well-trained band of nurses ready and waiting for the patients. Somehow or another, Fitz’s bed was the one she was assigned to first. His leg needed to be set and the gash in his forehead cleaned and bandaged. She thought he was asleep on first glance, his eyes shut tight with an arm draped over. With gentle grace, Jemma placed her hand on Fitz’s shoulder. In spite of the touch being light, he started, his arm dropping down and his eyes flying open. To her surprise, he seemed to relax when he saw it was her. 

“Hello, Mr. Fitz. I’m Jemma Simmons,” she said, her voice as gentle as the cooing of a bird.

“Hello, Doctor Simmons. How’re you?” His voice was kind but his words were said through teeth gritted in pain. Still, she couldn’t help but smile at his politeness.

“I’m well.”

“Appears I’m not,” he joked.

“But you shall be soon once I’ve mended you.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

And at that she got to work.

Even though the room of beds was large, it was hot and stuffy, the wind outside whipping up clouds of dirt and turning the sun into a hazy speck of light low in the sky. A few miners moaned while some let out little yelps as bones were set, Fitz among them, but they were taken good care of and soon most were resting and quiet. Fitz, however, was not among that group. He was peaceful, in spite of the pain that shot up his broken bone and then back down his whole body, but he wasn’t quiet. Neither was Jemma, for she had come to sit and chat by his side in that dusty room. They talked until the inventor dropped his head upon his pillow and the doctor fell asleep at the foot of his bed, head resting on her folded arms. 

Gossip spread quickly through the town. As the town Sheriff, Phil Coulson, once put it, you’d know the train was in before the first foot hit the platform. Within a few days the whole town was talking about the romance between the doctor and the inventor. Some were already planning the wedding. However, hopes were dashed when the inventor was suddenly called away back East. A relative was sick and needed tending and, being one with a gracious heart, Fitz purchased a ticket for the first train available. 

Some say they saw them kiss at the station, Miss Jemma Simmons and Mr. Leopold Fitz. Others said they couldn’t have, the tears raining too heavily for such a thing. Just because the news traveled quickly through the town didn’t mean it was always accurate. In truth, the lovers didn’t kiss or really cry all that much. Instead, the inventor took the doctor’s hands in both of his and made a proposal and a vow, both of which the doctor smiled at and agreed to. Then he kissed the palms he held and boarded the train. 

With the lovers separated for a space of time, the town watched for the post. Jemma could often be seen carrying envelopes away from the mailing office and plenty of envelopes back. Back and forth she went with her postage, a smile always upon her rosy face. And then one day she didn’t, instead flying out the doors of the saloon with gossip from one town over still ringing in her ears. 

The sun was setting upon the flat horizon line, turning the desert about them into a glowing red landscape as it met the pink and purple sky. In silhouette ran Jemma Simmons towards said horizon as her own silhouetted match ran towards town. The two lovers met in the middle and embraced in that beautiful sunset. And, this is truth not gossip, they marked their reunion with a kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @springmagpies! 💕


End file.
